TOP‑10 facts about the life and work of Vladimir Korotkevich

On November 26, the classic of Belarusian literature, our fellow countryman Vladimir Korotkevich, turns 95 years old.

Vladimir Korotkevich is one of the most read Belarusian writers. His books have been translated into many languages of the world and enjoy well-deserved popularity.

Based on the works of Vladimir Semyonovich, feature films have been made, numerous performances staged, and two operas and a ballet created.

№1 "Orsha — my beloved city, my eternal mother..." — this is how Vladimir Korotkevich wrote about his hometown. He lived a short life – 53 years, but became one of the brightest figures in Belarusian literature.

№2 The greatest influence on the future classic was his maternal grandfather – Vasily Grinkevich. He told his grandson interesting facts from history, introduced him to Belarusian legends and nature.

№3 The writer's ancestors belonged to the noble class and came from Belarusian Podnieprovye, Rogachev, Mstislav, and Mogilev.

№4 Vladimir received a philological education, graduating from Kyiv University. During his studies, he became interested in folklore, and his diploma work was dedicated to fairy tales and legends in East Slavic folklore.

№5 Vladimir Korotkevich's first poems were published in 1951 in the Orsha district newspaper "Lenin's Call". In 1955, a poem "Masheka" was published in the magazine "Polymia". The first poetry collection "Mother's Soul" (1958) testified that an original talent had entered literature.

№6 The novella "The Wild Hunt of King Stakh" was written in 1958 but published only 6 years later. The plot is based on a family legend, a curse that is supposed to destroy the ancient Yanoski family. In 1979, the novella was adapted into a film by the Belarusfilm studio. The main roles were played by stars of Soviet cinema Boris Plotnikov, Albert Filozov, and Boris Khmelnitsky.

№7 Vladimir Korotkevich spent most of his life with his mother, whom he loved very much. He married quite late - at the age of 41. His wife, Valentina Bronislavovna, at that time worked at the Brest local history museum and at the local pedagogical university. Valentina shared her husband's passion for history: they loved to travel and went on expeditions together.

№8 The Vladimir Korotkevich Museum is one of the visiting cards of Orsha. It is located at 26 Lenin Street. This building is a monument of civil architecture from the late 19th to early 20th century. Since 1925, it housed a maternity hospital, where the future writer was born on November 26, 1930. The museum's collection includes about 600 items that belonged to Korotkevich or his family.

№9 In the first half of the 1970s, Vladimir Korotkevich played a significant role in the reburial and perpetuation of the memory of the founder of the Belarusian theater Ignat Bujnitsky (born in the Glubokoe district). Together with theater scholar Vladimir Nefyodov, they found the abandoned grave of Bujnitsky, and in 1975 it was moved to Prozoroki in Glubokoe. Vladimir Korotkevich attended the unveiling of the monument and also dedicated several poems to Bujnitsky.

№10 For his creative achievements and active public activities, the writer was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples. He was awarded the Ivan Melezh Literary Prize and the State Prize of Belarus.